Two city blocks off Union Square — SF’s holiday shopping equivalent of Santa’s workshop — are open once again this year as a pedestrian-only wonderland featuring rotating food vendors from Off the Grid. The fifth annual Winter Walk, open through December 31 on Stockton between Ellis and Geary.

Columbus Craft Meats, meanwhile, the event’s lead sponsor, is providing a 20-foot long, eight-foot high sign reading “Winter Walk” and featuring what’s billed as a “giant charcuterie board” with the letters SF burned into it. Yes, it’s built for Instagramming — ’tis always the season. For drinkable good cheer, there’s wine, beer, and cocktails from mobile bar Rye on the Road.

Last year’s Winter Walk, organized by the Union Square Business Improvement District, saw a reported 1.7 million visitors. The first such event was conceived as a temporary use of city streets closed by the Central Subway project, but its success has led some commentators to suggest that the block should be closed to cars year-round, even after the subway is complete. Counter proposal: It should always have salami